Aalto’s Devlog #11 / 1st November 2023 - 30th November 2023

Untitled Penguin Game (3/3)

Iterating on the design of the tutorial level using Figma and Blender to build levels in Unreal.
Developing the User Interface based on our previous playtests and defining the graphic elements of the game.
Using Blender and Procreate to create illustrations and animations focusing on tough enemies. Also developing a logo for the game

The game project course is the pivotal part of our degree. It consists in two game projects that will be developed in the span of three months. In this particular case, I joined a team as Game Artist, Animator and UI Designer. Nevertheless, everyone in the team will wear many hats during the development process. The game pitch that got selected was to create an action-adventure game featuring a penguin in an isometric world. The game will tell a story about growth, while keeping combat and exploration mechanics.

Game Project I

About the Course

Fu Wei, Nuutti Nykänen, Fatemeh Amereh, Jami Liang, Hedi (Moonatic), Esther Calderón, Néstor Feijoo Melián.

Team

Tools

Unreal Engine, Blender, Figma, Adobe Suite, Procreate

Prototype Iteration

During the following weeks we tested our initial prototypes with many users. The goal of our test was to use the feedback from the players to iterate on the design of the level. It was of outmost importance to understand the problems that our player’s were facing because this is a level designed to teach you how to play the game. To iterate fast in this tutorial area, I came out with a method to produce complex 3D levels in a simple way. First, I created a 2D vector file using 3x3 tiles in Figma; then, I imported and extruded this vector in Blender and imported it into Unreal Engine. The last part of the process was to add details like ramps, actors, interactive elements and so on. This method also helped in creating precise invisible walls in a short amount of time.

Figma: SVG level design layout

Unreal: Adding actors and obstacles

Blender: Extrusion of the level and invisible walls

Unreal: Polished level

Nöki: Title screen

Menu: Game paused

Dialogue: Ancestor

UI Design

With our levels and gameplay elements defined, I developed the User Interface of our game to fit our player’s needs and to be aligned into the visual tone of our game. The “ice shards” became the main concept for the development of the graphics and I used cold tones contrasted with orange and red.

Loading Screen: Chapter One

Ability: New skill tutorial

Combat: Health and combat states

Sculpting: Placing a ramp

Assets: Guides, buttons, indicators and text boxes

The personality brought by the animation, inspired me to create illustrations depicting key moments of our game. I illustrated these while waiting for the animation renders to process, as a visual way of expressing the feelings that our game aims to transmit.